UK: Pig slaughter hits high, increased production

The confidence of pig producers towards investing in improving performance has resulted in increased production, supported by the BPEX 2TS campaign.

But the huge rise in feed costs leading to mounting losses is expected to undermine further investment and expansion which will in turn hit the total amount of pig meat produced next year.

The latest forecasts from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board's Market Intelligence division for BPEX show clean pig slaughterings will hit a high of more than 10 million this year.

This is the first time that milestone has been reached since 2002 when the sow herd was 130,000 more than it is today. However, the latest forecasts also show production is likely to fall by almost 2% in 2013.

Senior analyst Stephen Howarth said: "This situation, of tightening supplies, is not just something affecting the UK."The rising feed costs are a global problem and will have a global impact. On top of that, within the EU, new welfare rules next year will also lead to a reduction in the sow herd."